All I Want for Christmas
by Inita
Summary: AU/Game. All he wanted for Christmas was to just spend time with the family, not running around like a moron trying to buy gifts with Shu for Sahlia... But by the time the day ends, he realises that Shu wasn't the only procrastinator.


**A/N****: **_Hi, everyone :)_

_First of all, you're probably wondering why I'm uploading this a day before Christmas Eve, my original due date... Well, I'm going to be busy tomorrow :/ I barely had time today and I was hard-pressed to think up things at the last minute for this fanfic... God, so much __**wrapping**__ D: If I have to wrap another present, it'll be too soon..._

_But yeah, I'll try to get online to PM my friends and wish them happy (merry, sorry) Christmas, but if not, then I'll be wishing you guys a 'belated' Merry Christmas ;)_

_**Universe is AU/Game... It leans more towards an AU setting; possible setting mixed with the anime, but nevertheless, it /is/ more AU than I had wanted it to be :/**_

_And read on ;)_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Blue Dragon_ _(ooh! I got one! :D) on any week that has seven days ;)_

/

He shoves his hands into each pocket, praying to God – literally, _praying_ – that his fingers will brush the gold coins, feel the familiar ridges and flat, disc-like form of currency. When his search is proved futile, he heaves a sigh and extracts his hands from the yellow shorts, biting the inside bottom corner of his mouth in frustration. Shu casts an anxious look at the baking utensils – Sahlia had hinted _several times_ that she wanted the kit of multiple trays, array of wooden spoons, a red bowl... All the things a perfect baker would need... And she _was _a perfect baker. Maybe not in the eyes of other, but to Shu, she _was _the best. He heaves a sigh, arms bent as he slaps his hands against his thighs, eyes averted to the cashier – (who looks _beyond _impatient.)

"I got nothin'..." Shu orated blankly, lips pressed in a straight, horizontal line.

The woman – the cashier – pushes a lone strand of blonde hair behind her right ear, sighing in an 'oh-so-dramatic' manner. "Sir, you've been holding up the line since five twenty... It's five fifty now; they've been here for _thirty minutes_. If you don't have the cash, then you need to put it aside, and go. We close around six thirty, and if these people can't get what they're _trying _to purchase, there might be a fight." The 'might' in her phrase is a bit unnecessary, seeing how an argument (or worse) would be the most felicitous response...

Shu narrowed his eyes, folding his arms across his chest. "Yeah, yeah, I know that, lady... But look: It's a day before Christmas, isn't it? Okay, I forgot to do my Christmas shopping in advance? So what? You just need to relax and go with the flow... So if you just let me check that kit out-" He throws himself on top of the box, startling a plump woman hefted with thick, embroidered silk and a 'spice-like' smell lingering from her pores. "-maybe we can call it a deal and there won't be _any _arguing tonight, okay? Come on, it's just baking supplies..."

A frown and the lady is pulling from the other end of the box, having abandoning her position at behind the cash register. "No," She responded flatly, baring her teeth. "Let go, sir, or else I _will _call security."

Personally, Shu finds her gesture quite repugnant, but he clamps down on his tongue to prevent the "Ew, get away from me, lady!" tearing out of his mouth. Plus, that remark is just, _so _girly... He mentally slaps himself for even _thinking_ that before tugging back on his end. "Bah, call the buffoons! I'll just say that you don't have a _heart-_" (He accentuates 'heart' with a rough tug) "-to give me something that probably doesn't cost that _much_, but you're gonna charge me anyway! Just let it go, seriously!_!_"

"There a problem here?"

Both freeze in their little vignette, gawking at three specific residents clad in uniform. Immediately, they release their hands from the box, pointing at one another: "It was his (her) fault!_!_" Though before Shu can jump in and explain his side, the _moody_ 'lady' speaks in such an insolent manner to _him_, not the security crew, "This... _kid_ decided to barge into the store and demand for this item. He doesn't have any money, and he won't give up already! Persistant little fellow he is..." Her last words practically seethe with anger.

"Uh, it's just _freaking_ baking-set kit! It's not expensive! It's only five-hundred gold!" Shu protested, throwing his arms out in an angered gesture.

"A _freaking _baking kit that you can't afford..." The girl retorts, eyebrows knitted together.

"Well I would if I had more money with me! Which I _do_, but it's not in my pockets!"

Before she is able to quip in a snarky remark, a man behind several people shouts, "Oh just let him buy the kit already! He's not going to leave and it's already _six o' clock_!" A chorus of agreements and protests towards the bickering 'couple' – they're not, really – until the tallest of the three men speak: "That's enough." He looks down at Shu, his eyes a bit sanctimonious – because the situation _is _pathetic. "Young man, if you can't afford the gift, then I'm afraid you'll have to leave." When Shu opens his mouth to protest, he's cut off by a sharp, "No, I mean it. No pay, no game." He directs a finger towards the door. "Go."

He is certainly capricious when it comes to 'giving up', but Shu mutters a string of curses before he trudges towards the door.

Shu was, unlike most, determined and he had come to the strong conclusion that he _would _get that present even if it cost him a leg.

/

But alas, Shu was a major procrastinator... Hence he decided to tell a 'certain someone' hours before night – or eight 'o' clock in his case.

"No, no, no, and, _absolutely not!_!" Jiro snapped, glaring disapprovingly at the younger friend. "Shu, you had _all month _to go shopping for Sahlia, and you started out with how much again? One-thousand gold? Perhaps more; Zola and King Jibral gave you a bonus, remember? What _were _you doing?" As soon as the look of anxiety crosses Shu's facial features, he not only knows this is his way of displaying diffidence, but he knows the answer won't be good... "You know what? Never mind; forget I said that." He runs a hand through his hair, sighing tiredly, fatigue already rushing through his veins. "Alright... What do you need?"

As these words are applied, Shu's eyes brightened, and he grins, widely. "Thought you'd see it my way! Okay, there's this thing I want to get for Sahlia, but this stupid lady wouldn't let me buy it because I didn't have much gold and so she threw a tantrum at me. So if we can just go back to the town's main store..."

"Shu, if you got kicked out... then you probably won't be able to go back in." Jiro chipped in, giving his friend a look.

"...Well, yeah, I knew that..." He concurred, fiddling with the red waistcloth. ...But that's where you come in."

And before Jiro has time to register what's going on, Shu has grabbed hold of his wrist, dragging him across the wooden floor and out the room.

/

"Would you just knock it off? I can't believe you're letting a twenty-something year old woman get to your head!" Jiro quipped, shoving his bare hands into his coat pockets. "Meh..." he muttered, realizing that even this action wasn't enough to stay warm. The carry-on was leather, but due to the lack of gloves, from his wrist up everything seemed frozen. Lord he would kill for a better pair of gloves... Shu had 'borrowed' the last pair and lost them when he decided to go snow skiing with Marumaro.

"I'm tellin' ya, Jiro! That woman is _insane_! She glowered at me! What kind of sane human does that?_!_" Shu exclaimed, gapping with hands on his hips. "Then she threatened to call security on me, and she got everyone in line against me so they were yelling at _me_, when they should've been yelling at _her_!" '_Well..._' He thought belatedly. '_I suppose they were yelling at her instead... Oh, who cares?_'

Rolling his eyes, Jiro pushed open the door, walking inside the building, relishing the heated temperature – ten times better than being out in the snow with a smeared, grey palette streaked with very little white overhead. He asked Shu where the object could be found, and so he (Shu) led the way, muttering profanities and 'If I see that lady it'll be too soon...' as they went. When they had _finally _reached the bloody gift Shu wanted so much, they turned and made way towards the checkout. After a brief checkout, the two were already rushing out the door.

/

Along the way back to the cabin, Jiro began setting down a few 'rules'.

"Alright, no more going to the arcade and paying for tokens just to play a few video games when it's _around Christmas_... No more shopping for yourself and yes, you _did_ because you had this new game case sprawled out on the table yesterday. Don't lie." He adds the last part a bit vehemently, looking at Shu with lidded eyes. "And another thing: Whenever you go out with someone, _please _take someone so they can keep your 'self-proclaimed-spending' disease in check... If you have to, take Fushira – he'd be glad to spend some time with you."

"Nah, he hates shopping," Shu laughs, slapping his free hand down on the surface of the (new) purchased item. "He said he'd prefer to walk around Talta in a _dress _than go shopping."

_Then how the heck did he get all those presents last year...?_ "Ugh, are we done yet?" Jiro muttered, pushing the door open to the cabin. "What time is it...?"

"Um..." Shu looks over at the grandfather clock leaning near the mantel while Jiro throws aside his coat. "It's about seven-thirty-"

"_What_?_!_" Jiro exclaims, rushing over to stand beside Shu and gaze at the face himself. But the little hand was between the seven and eight with the big hand directly on the six. At the sight of this, Jiro could _literally _collapse from the sudden shock that surges through him. "Oh, really?_!_" Reluctant decisions unable to even move in front of his actions, Jiro rushes towards the spare room, pulling out wrapping paper and the like before zipping back, hurtling it all towards Shu (not so cognizant of the sudden 'Hey!') before he flung the door open, coat in hand.

/

He throws himself down on the sofa, hoping that while he was gone that Shu's 'unhealthy' procrastination would start to ameliorate. No such luck... The hours had gone by faster than he could count, and so he returned back home, no last-minute gifts in hand. He mentally slaps himself: He accused Shu of procrastination, but he did the same thing it seemed. '_Now where do you think Shu got the idea_?' Jiro pushed away the thought, not in the mood for something taunting him at such a time. Well, he always had the other gifts, but they weren't as... 'grand', for a lack of better word. They lacked the aspects he was searching for and with all the issues arising with Marumaro, Shu, and Randel? It just became too much and Jiro was ready to just put aside more time for himself than he would have liked... He lost track almost immediately and it wasn't until Shu mentioned Sahlia where he remembered one person he hadn't bought for in particular:

Kluke.

Good Lord, he was so screwed... It wasn't that Kluke was going to wring him by his neck, but the whole idea that he didn't buy a gift – for that one person's smile he was looking forward to ever so much – made him want to bang his head up against the wall more than once. And the feeling after that would be _perfect_... in an odd sort of way... Whichever or, it would clear his mind of the feeling of _guilt _when he gazed into Kluke's face when it was his turn to chuck up his gift... Here was the thing: Jiro's so wrapped up in his musings that he doesn't hear the door open, doesn't hear the sound of familiar footsteps that head in _his _direction, and_ almost _misses the, "Jiro? Are you okay?"

He starts at the sound of her voice, whipping around to face her. She's in the usual black dress, red bow wrapped around the ponytail, and yellow sash tied around the abdomen. He absentmindedly wonders where her coat is, but he receives the nonverbal answer when his gaze locks onto a jacket resting on the chairs. "Yeah, I'm fine." _Fine as in 'I was doing some last minute shopping and wasted all my money for Shu and procrastinated hence why you're not getting a gift from me_'. "It's just been a long day and I'm sort of... tired." He laughs lightly at his final small (stupid) word of his explanation.

"Really...?" She plops herself down, adjacent to him. "I was just wondering – you seem a bit off today."

He opens his mouth to respond, but Shu beats him to the gun, shouting, "Thanks for helping me get the gift, Jiro!", which _completely_ forces him to cough up the truth: "Alright, I did some last minute shopping and I... well, I _forgot_- er, I mean I _procrastinated _with the Christmas gifts... And I..." He pursed his lips together, hesitant (debating). "...was unable to get you something..." Jiro awaits the response of extreme incredulity and further astonishment, but it doesn't come. Instead, he gets an ironic response:

"Oh, that's alright," She averts her eyes to the ground, pupils slightly dilated and- wait, she wasn't _blushing _was she? "I didn't have time to... get anything either. Instead of going out for last minute shopping, I was busy with Sahlia, helping her bake for the holidays... Well, Shu as well, but..." Kluke giggles nervously, edging herself towards the end of the seat. "At least you _thought _of last minute shopping; it never crossed my mind. Makes me feel a bit irresponsible though..." She cocks her head to the side, eyes averted at the ceiling. "But I guess 'thinking' is something that I should've expected – especially from you." She applies the last three words by gazing at him, smiling softly – and Jiro feels his stomach do a flip.

Face heated up, he responds stupidly with a, "U-Uh, Um..." However, the coloring in his cheeks darken when his eyes catch sight of the blood-red berries hanging overhead. '_How on earth...?_' His thoughts are cut short when he realizes that they were there the _whole _time, hanging from the over looming banister. It's a bit far up, but in contrast to the others, it's the lowest point; the way the setup was created, it seemed to _slope _from the fireplace, up to the loft. Unfortunately – or maybe _fortunately_... – the way out of a situation like this was a three out of ten... But as he pushes himself to lean towards Kluke – the blush finally leaves his face, thank God! – he thinks to himself that this wasn't such a bad Christmas after all.

All he wanted for Christmas was to get everything done in order: Purchase gifts, wrap them (if that were even possible), and then just relax with his friends. But there was one thing that he wanted the most – and he got it.

Her smile when she pulled away.

/

**A/N****: **_Okay, this fanfic seemed to go in waves; it was good, then it was bad, it was good, then bad... -.- Now I will admit that there was this scene where Jiro was going to get into a fight with that crazy lady at the cash register, but you guys missed out :/ I didn't have **any **time today, save for a bit this morning, so I was unable to squeeze it in... The part where Jiro said "I can't believe you're letting a twenty-something year old woman get to your head!" was what inspired said scene, but... mefeh, I fail xD_

_But honestly, I'm not dissatisfied with the ending ;) Sure the scene was rushed, but it's not as bad as I had anticipiated... But I'll let you guys decide that xD_

_One more thing:_

_**Merry Christmas, Everyone! :D**_

**~ Inita**


End file.
